What They Said: Supreme Court Decision on Narendra Modi

India Real Time presents a roundup of commentary and analysis on one of the key news events of the week – the Supreme Court’s decision to refer back to the trial court in Gujarat the question of whether the state’s chief minister, Narendra Modi, should be prosecuted for the wave of communal violence that occurred in his state in 2002.

The Supreme Court’s decision on Monday prompted Mr. Modi, who denies accusations that he stood by as mobs attacked Muslims in an apparent retaliation to the torching of a train carrying Hindu pilgrims, to announce that he would fast for three days from Sept. 17.

The 2002 riots, in which more than 1,000 people died, have cast a long shadow over Mr. Modi, a leading member of the opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Mr. Modi is admired for his role in the economic development of western India’s Gujarat state, but memories of the violence nearly 10 years ago have hurt his national political aspirations.

The BJP portrayed the Supreme Court’s decision as a victory for Mr. Modi, even though the referral to a trial court doesn’t exonerate him. .

Here’s a roundup of what Indian newspapers and commentators had to say:

A Monday editorial in the Hindustan Times, perhaps in a nod to the U.S. Open which concluded that day, used tennis parlance to describe the Supreme Court’s decision, saying “It is advantage Modi but deuce for the BJP. The Supreme Court lobbed the ball over the net into an Ahmedabad trial court after refusing to pass any order on the role of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the fateful anti-Muslim riots of 2002.”

It went on to say that the court’s verdict hasn’t brought closure to either Mr. Modi or the victims of the violence, and that the ongoing uncertainty will affect his political hopes, as well as those of his party. “This political purgatory has far-reaching implications both for Mr. Modi and the BJP… with no conclusion on the issue of the riots, his chances of leading the BJP nationally in the next general elections are as remote as ever.”

“For the BJP, suffering from a severe bankruptcy of talent at the top, this is an enormous setback,” the editorial said, adding: “With his charisma and track record in governance, Mr. Modi should have been a natural prime ministerial candidate.”

In a Tuesday editorial, The Indian Express said the Supreme Court’s decision to refer the case back to the trial court was “entirely correct.”

“This is exactly as it should be, in terms of legal procedure — the Supreme Court is a constitutional court, and cannot conduct a trial,” it said, adding that now the case is with the trial court “it will be tracked by everyone invested in ensuring a full and fair accounting of the riots.”

The Times of India on Wednesday carried an editorial titled “BJP’s Albatross,” which said although the BJP was interpreting the Supreme Court’s decision as a “clean chit” for the minister, the “celebrations are premature.”

“The Gujarat chief minister is certainly not off the hook. But regardless of the question of his personal culpability for the riots, what stands out is that nine years later the victims are yet to see justice,” it said.

The editorial went on to lament how toothless the government is when it comes to prosecutions, saying the problem is “as critical as widespread corruption.”

“There’s a depressing pattern whereby whether it’s communal violence or terror, the Indian state appears incapable of imposing its writ and bringing to book the perpetrators of heinous violence.”

The editorial noted that the 2002 riots continue to prevent Mr. Modi from rising on the national stage. “This has also made him the albatross around the BJP’s neck, driving away minority votes and making NDA [National Democratic Alliance] allies wary.”

“The Congress too has the 1984 anti-Sikh riots to answer for. But at least it has since apologised for the tragedy. As the BJP’s poster boy, Modi should follow suit,” it added.

In another Wednesday editorial, The Asian Age echoed Tuesday’s piece in The Indian Express, saying that it was right for the case to be referred back to a trial court, but also added that it didn’t spell victory for the BJP: “The Supreme Court is not a trial court and Monday’s decision is the logical next step after the completion of investigation. And yet the BJP behaves as if it had won the Derby.”

It went on to question whether the BJP’s celebrations were aimed at turning up the pressure on the magistrate in the trial court. “It is possible that high-pitched exclamations of presumed victory are meant to hustle the Ahmedabad magistrate on whom a great burden has been cast.”

The Indian Express returned on Thursday with an editorial describing Mr. Modi’s planned three-day fast as “an attempt to wipe the slate clean for himself.”

“Modi is both despised and admired with ferocious intensity, and this is his first attempt to address the past — at least obliquely, with mentions of ‘unity in diversity’ and ‘peace and harmony,’” it said.

“Whether Modi’s ‘sadbhavana fast’ is motivated by a belated desire for reconciliation, as unspoken penance, whether it is a pitch for a larger national arena or simply an attempt to consolidate Gujarat, interpretations of the act are bound to be polarised.”

About India Real Time

India Real Time offers analysis and insights into the broad range of developments in business, markets, the economy, politics, culture, sports, and entertainment that take place every single day in the world’s largest democracy. Regular posts from Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires reporters around the country provide a unique take on the main stories in the news, shed light on what else mattered and why, and give global readers a snapshot of what Indians have been talking about all week. You can contact the editors at indiarealtime(at)wsj(dot)com.